Boxing: Beating Joshua Will Make Me Legit Champion – Dubois

Reigning IBF heavyweight champion, says beating former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua,will solidify his status as a legit champion.

Dubois is slated to fight Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 20.

Dubois lost his attempt to win the unified world title when Oleksandr Usyk stopped him in nine rounds last year.

The Londoner regrouped after that to defeat Jarrell Miller and then won the IBF Interim belt with his victory over Filip Hrgovic.

After beating Tyson Fury to become the undisputed champion, Usyk agreed a rematch and vacated the IBF title.That saw Dubois upgraded to full world champion.

He believes a victory over Joshua, a world-class heavyweight who has been a unified champion himself twice before, will legitimise his championship status.

“I’m the underdog because I have to prove myself and beating him and winning this next fight will set me as a legit champion. I’m raring to go. This is everything. The big opportunity,” Dubois told Sky Sports News.

Dubois not only wants that win over Joshua, he wants to do it inside the distance. “Win by any means necessary but a stoppage is definitely what I’m after, a good stoppage and a statement victory, that’s what I’m all about,” he said.

“Very confident, very sure and happy and ready to do the business. I’m just raring to go,” he added.

“Every day I’m working towards it leaving no stone unturned. Just work, work, work and victory is definite.”

Don Charles, Dubois’ trainer, is happy with what he sees too.

“He’s looking good. He’s looking good and feeling good,” Charles said of Dubois. “He’s enjoying his boxing.

“Tweaking every shot that he has in his arsenal. I’ve got a very happy camp and a very happy fighter.”

“He is the current IBF heavyweight world champion,” Charles added. “Every disappointment is also a blessing, the journey we’ve got planned for us, that’s the way it was written. We’re here.

“All this, whether it was the disappointment against Usyk, the Miller fight, the Hrgovic fight, brings us to where we are today.

“What happened, happened. Although it was disappointing in the beginning, it was a happy ending in the end that we’re here today.”